


Tememory

by stifledlaughter



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Higher Education, Humor, Introspection, Tem goes to college
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-20
Updated: 2020-05-20
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:15:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,834
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24280414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stifledlaughter/pseuds/stifledlaughter
Summary: Is good day! Is best day!Tem got MONEY FOR COLLEG.Tem tell story before Tem forget in excite.Was normal day! Tem buy dogresidus! Tem sell Temflakes! Tem think Temthoughts!And then!Little monster in stripes give Tem 1000 G! For colleg!!!Tem thank Stripe Monster, tell Stripe Monster that Tem will make Stripe Monster proud. Stripe Monster not say much, but Tem know in heart, Stripe Monster proud.Tem is not afriad! Tem not know fear!Tem go to colleg!!---(A character study on Tem going to college - written entirely in Temspeak.)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	Tememory

**Author's Note:**

> Let me start with - if you cannot stand Temspeak, please X out of this ASAP because this, to me, was an experiment of "Can I write a serious piece about memory, identity, and one's place in their society and history of the world entirely in Temspeak?" This is honestly the most experimental piece of fanfiction I've ever writen and am vaguely nervous about posting it even, but here goes.  
> On that note, this isn't nearly as Temspeak-y as the game is, as that would have truly killed me, but I did my best. All grammar, spelling, and word choice errors are done on purpose to convey a sense of Temspeak. Again, if this bothers you, run now!  
> Shoutout to my beta, Shade, for helping me make this Temspeakier than it originally was!

Is a good day! 

Tem sold MANY temflakes! Tem 50 gold closer to dream. Dream of colleg! Dreams of all-nighter, dreams of hanging out on 'the quad' (Tem wonders, is quad a rectangle? Or is perfect square shape? Tem will see), dreams of developing Caffeine Habit. (Tem read MANY blog on Colleg Life. Much Temxcitement!) 

Tem do what tem can to make it to colleg. Tem get TED (tem edumacation dugree). Tem do MUCH study. Tem ask Napst about Music Theory, and Tem listen to floormusic. Tem see galaxies, stars, the mystery of the cosmos. Tem not understand what it means. 

Tem want to understand lot of things.

Tem study hard, so Tem can live in a world tem understand. Tem share with other Tems what it is like, to live in a world a Tem understands. 

One day, Tem go to colleg. And Tem understand.

\-----

Is good day! Is best day! 

Tem got MONEY FOR COLLEG. 

Tem tell story before Tem forget in excite.

Was normal day! Tem buy dogresidus! Tem sell Temflakes! Tem think Temthoughts!

And then!

Little monster in stripes give Tem 1000 G! For colleg!!!

Is G for tuition, fees, and housing! With 1000 G, Tem can get Upgraded Tem Cardboard Box for housing! Is luksury housing.

Tem thank Stripe Monster, tell Stripe Monster that Tem will make Stripe Monster proud. Stripe Monster not say much, but Tem know in heart, Stripe Monster proud. 

Tem is not afriad! Tem not know fear! 

Tem go to colleg!!

\--

Tem do Uncommon App. Tem submit much resume, submit Tem SAT scores. Tem personal essay about much success at Tem Shop, many hours at volunteer to watch TemFriend's egg. (Egg is taking its time! Tem Egg will grow one day. Tem is sure, even tho Tem impatient. 

Tem maybe learn patients at cool egg?) 

Tem wait. Tem wait many days for Tem app to be got. 

Tem has moment of self doubt. Tem wonder, if Tem can do it. If Tem can succeed. Tem know history of Tem people - no Tem do colleg, ever. Tem will be first. 

Must have patients. Must have one, or two patients. Maybe even three. 

Tem wait, and Tem dream of colleg. 

\-----

Tem akcepted to colleg!! Tem leave in three months. Tem so excited when letter arrive, Tem eat whole thing. 

(Tem now need to call Colleg Services and ask for deposit amount, as Tem not know. Was on letter.

Perhap Tem learn impulse control in colleg.)

Tem leaving shop to my friend, Temmie. Tem know that Tem Shop is in good paws. 

Saying gudbye to Tem Egg is hardest part. Tem Egg not understand why Tem is leaving, but, Tem think, is like poem Tem find on scrap of paper on the ground one day. 

_ "This shaking keeps me steady. I should know.  _

_ What falls away is always. And is near.  _

_ I wake to sleep, and take my waking slow.  _

_ I learn by going where I have to go."  _

_ \- Theodore Roethke _

Tem not understand poem. Tem not understand pretty words, and why they next to other pretty words. But Tem know feeling in heart, and Tem knows, the poem understand how Tem feels about leaving Tem Village, because when Tem think of leaving, is very sad. And poem feel sad, like how Tem Egg not know that Tem is going but Tem will come back.

Tem will learn a lot, and Tem can teach evuryone, when Tem return from cool leg. 

\----

Am now enrolled in Tem Studies! Tem make own major after find out was no Temstudies. Tem fight for representashun!

Tem take Cultural Anthropology, World History, Memory Studies, Essay Writing, and Blacksmithing.

(Tem needed art elektive. Tem make the best armor tem can!!)

Classes very hard. Tem study so much, tem write so much, tem read so much. All of the words dance together when tem is sleepy, but tem not want to sleep. Tem has to much to lern. 

Monday and Wednesday is when Tem do Memory Studies.

Tem explayn! Memory Studies is about how monsters remember how things are and were. But not all memory is rite! Or gud! Sometimes, memory is fake, and everyone go along with that memory. When Individual Memory (like Temthoughts) not same as Collective Memory (all monsters, all Tem), is VERY hard. Memorey Studies very useful for tem, because Tem doing Tem Studies, and Tem History VERY important to Tem studies. History without memory, is like, Temflakes without construction paper.

At least!! Is what professor tells me. I dunno everything yet. We only halfway through syllabus.

Tem learn about Colluctive versus Individ Memory. Tem think of tem life, meeting only monsters, and no human ever. Tem wonder, how it would be, to meet human, to talk to human. Tem wuld then have Individual Memory. But Tem know hoomans, in the Underground, eveyone think of as bad, scary, and we need to kill them, to take their soles. That is Monster Collective Memory.

(If Tem ever meet hooman, Tem not take soul, Tem think.) 

Tem realize, in Memory Studies, that the Collective Memory of the Underground tell Tem, kill human! We must take revenge!! But tem think, Individually, maybe Collective Memory is not right. Maybe there be another way, for hooman and Monster to live above the ground. Together. 

Tem take story from Tem History - the dragontale. The dragon that squished all Tems into Tem Cave, and Tem hidded in fear. One day, brave Temmie run out, jump on dragon! Ride dragon to the sky! But that Temmie never come back. Did Temmie die? Did dragon die? Did Temmie use dragon to go somewhere else? Why Temmie not come back to Temmie Cave?

Tem not know rest of story. Sadness. Many stories like that - the ending not known to Tem. Or anyone. 

Is important to memory, Tem thinks, to write down the story. Even when story has no end. 

\-------

Tem pass first sumester classes!!! Take make whole helmet in Blacksmithing. Tem think, Tem can make whole armor set soon. Tem study by the fire of the forge when it is late. Tem drink much Cold Brew near fire. Tem like the feeling of buzzy, when sleepy, but very awake. 

Tem lives for the 2am inspurration, when Tem at forge, look up, see tiny lights in the rocks. Tem think, they are very far away. Even when Tem is with friends, who study at Forge, Tem feel very far away from everyone. 

Is lonely. Tem not know loneness until colleg. 

Tem Village very far away. Temmies, Tem Egg, Bob, Ragel the sad mushroom dance man, all very far away. Tem wonder if Tem Shop is selling gud. Did Tem make new Temflakes before leaving? Did Tem sort Dog Rezido right? (Two VERY IMPORTANT piles - Dog Rezido and Dog Residue.) 

Is lonely, some nights. The forge is not warm like Tem make cuddly pile with other Tems. 

But Tem is very strong, and Tem is filled with feeling that Tem must keep going. Tem  _ will _ keep studying, keep drinking Cold Brew, keep writing essays. Tem not know what to call this feel that makes Tem Heart feel strong, even when Tem is tired. 

Stripe Monster, Tem think, is smart. Tem ask Stripe Monster what to call this feel, when Tem return with Dugree. 

\---

Tem gradiate soon!! Tem very gud at armor now. Tem wear armor to class, to display tems hard work, because Tem not allowed to put armor on wall in Art Gallery anymore after Temcident that happen. 

(Tem not know Drywall bad for holding up Tem Armor. Tem very sorry, and tem write formal apologee to Custodial Survices.)

Thesis writing going real gud. Thesis Advisir tell Tem, Tem History is "rich and fascinating topic". Tem go deep into dragontale, and tem write about Individual and Collective Memory, and the Underground, and what would happen to Tem History, if, one day, the barrier fell. 

If barrier fell, history would change. Big change! 

(Scary change, Tem thinks. End of everything Monsters know. Nothing same, after barrier fall.) 

Tem study other Barrier Fallings. Tem think, if the two sides ever could become one again. Tem wonder, if the dragon and Temmie that ride dragon became friends. Temmie never know. That story never find its end. End not known.

Other stories say, Barriers falling change everything. Other stories, barrier comes up again. 

Tem not sure about future of Underground. But Tem know, Tem must write past, study past, keep Tem History alive, so Tems forever can say, "We are Tems!! We know Tem Past!" and maybe, maybe, Tem will not be scared of Barrier falling, if Tems know who Tems are, and can stil be Tems, in future. 

\----

GRADIMICATION!!!!

Tem RUN acros stage! Tem GRAB DUGREE WITH TEEF. Tem SLIDE OFF STAGE INTO BUSHES.

Tem regret wearing slippery fancy shoes to gradimication seremony. 

No one can take dugree away from Tem now! Knowledge is inside Tem, furrever!!

Is hard, to say gudbye to Temfriends. Forgestudy friends tell Tem, they visit tem in Tem Shop. Tem tell them, Tem visit them in CORE, in Hotlands. 

Is like poem Tem find, long time ago, before colleg. Tem understand now. Tem go to where tem need to go, to be where tem need to be. Tem need to go back to Tem Village now. Tem must leave new friends, friends Tem made by the forge.

Tem wonder if it be true tho, if Tem visit friends. Tem not know how to hold friends who are far away. Tem not learn this in colleg - but tem know, Grad skool is there. 

There is always more to lern, Tem think.

\---

Tem meet Stripe Monster again!!! Tem tell Stripe Monster, Tem go to colleg, and thank thank thank to Stripe Monster for help Tem go to cool leg!!

But tem SO EXCITE to see Stripe Monster, Tem forget to ask, what feeling in chest was, when Tem was lonely, but kept studying. Is important to Tem to know. 

Is okay, Tem ask another time. For now, Tem go tell Egg about colleg. Maybe Egg will get motivation to hatch, and go to colleg too.

Tem is roll model now, Tem must set good example for teh children. 

\----

Tem heer the news!!

The Barrier is DOWN!! Is fell! 

Tem is excite but also fear. Tem think on Tem Studies- and Collective Memory.

Will Monsters be angry at humans still? Will Hoomans, and their Collective Memory, hate Monsters?

Tem hold Tem Studies degree to chest. Tem hold it tight and hope, that the Upperground is good, BETTER, than Underground. 

Suddenly Tem heer that Stripe Monster was HOOMAN, and Tem SHOCK!! But also very hap. 

Why hap?

Stripe Monster do nice thing for Tem. REALLY nice thing. So tem think - maybe Humans okay. Maybe Monsters and Humans can be friends. 

Maybe this story, not like dragontale, has end. One day, Monster and Human story become part of Collective Memory. A good memory. 

Tem hold dugree and hope for a good end to this story. 

  
  



End file.
